Aggregation and micellization of sodium dodecyl sulfate in the presence of Ce(III) at different temperatures: a conductometric study

Aggregation properties of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the presence of cerium(III) chloride, at various temperatures (298.15-323.15 K) have been measured by the electrical conductance technique. The experimental data on aqueous solutions as a function of SDS concentration show the presence of two inflexion points indicating the presence of two distinct interaction mechanisms: the first, occurring at SDS concentrations below the critical micelle concentration of the pure surfactant, which can be explained by the formation of aggregates between dodecyl sulfate (DS-) and Ce(III), while the second one, at SDS concentrations around the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the pure surfactant which is due to the SDS micellization. The aggregation between DS- and Ce(III) was confirmed by static light scattering. The binding ratio of DS-/Ce(III) changes from 6 to 4, shows a slight dependence on the Ce(III) concentration and is independent of the temperature. The thermodynamic micellization parameters, Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy of micellization were calculated on the basis of the experimental data for the aggregation concentration, and the degree of counterion dissociation of the micelles. The SDS micellization is energetically favoured by increasing either the concentration of CeCl3 or the temperature. Such behaviour is clearly dominated by a decrease of the micellization (exothermic) enthalpy. The entropy of micellization approaches zero as the cerium(III) chloride concentration and temperature increase.     

Homogenization of a variational inequality for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Laplacian in perforated media with nonlinear restrictions for the flux on the boundary of isoperimetric perforations: <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> equal to the dimension of the space

We address the homogenization of a variational inequality posed in perforated media issue from a unilateral problem for the p-Laplacian. We consider the n-Laplace operator in a perforated domain of ?ⁿ, n ≥ 3, with restrictions for the solution and its flux (the flux associated with the n-Laplacian) on the boundary of the perforations which are assumed to be isoperimetric. The solution is assumed to be positive on the boundary of the holes and the flux is bounded from above by a negative, nonlinear monotone function multiplied by a large parameter. A certain non periodical distribution of the perforations is allowed while the assumption that their size is much smaller than the periodicity scale is performed. We make it clear that in the average constants of the problem, the perimeter of the perforations appears for any shape.     

Effect of terbium(III) chloride on the micellization properties of sodium decyl- and dodecyl-sulfate solutions

The effect of TbCl3 on the aggregation processes of the anionic surfactants sodium decyl sulfate (SDeS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been investigated. Electrical conductivity data, combined with Tb(III) luminescence measurements suggest that the formation of micelles involving TbCl3 and SDS occurs at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the pure surfactants; the formation of these mixed aggregates was also monitored by light scattering, which indicates that the addition of TbCl3 to surfactant concentration at values below the pure surfactant cmc results in a much greater light scattering than that found with pure sodium alkylsulfate surfactant micelles. This phenomenon is dependent upon the alkyl chain length of the surfactant. With Tb(III)/DS-, complexes are formed with a cation/anion binding ratio varying from 3 to 6, which depends upon the initial concentration of Tb(III). This suggests that the majority of the cation hydration water molecules can be exchanged by the anionic surfactant. When the carbon chain length decreases, interactions between surfactant and Tb(III) also decrease, alterations in conductivity and fluorescence data are not so significant and, consequently, no binding ratio can be detected even if existing. The surfactant micellization is dependent on the presence of electrolyte in solution with apparent cmc being lower than the corresponding cmc value of pure SDS.     

Self-assembly and phase behavior of germanium oxide nanoparticles in basic aqueous solutions

We show that germania nanoparticle self-assembly in basic aqueous solutions occurs at a critical aggregation concentration (CAC) corresponding to a 1:1 GeO2/OH- molar ratio. A combination of pH, conductivity, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements was used to monitor the effect of incremental additions of germanium (IV) ethoxide to basic solutions of sodium hydroxide or tetraalkylammonium cations. Plots of pH versus total germania concentration at varying alkalinities generated a phase diagram with three distinct regions. The diagram was analyzed with a thermodynamic model based on the chemical equilibria of germania speciation and dissociation. The model, which uses the GeO-H dissociation constant (pK = 7.1) as the single fitting parameter, quantitatively captures trends in the CAC and pH. SAXS patterns reveal that the germania nanoparticles have either a cubic or a spherical geometry of dimension approximately 1 nm that is independent of solution pH and cation. On the basis of these and other literature findings, we propose that the germania nanoparticle structure is that of the cubic octamer (double four-membered ring, Ge8O12(OH)8), which is common among condensed GeO2 materials and building units in [Ge,Si]-zeolites. Comparisons between germania and silica solutions show distinct differences in their phase behavior and nanoparticle structure. The results presented here, in combination with previous studies of siliceous solutions, provide a framework for ongoing studies of combined germania-silica phase behavior, which is part of an overarching effort to understand the influence of heteroatoms in the growth and structure direction of zeolites.     

Nitrous oxide: Saturation properties and the phase diagram

The experimental values of the coordinates of the triple point and of the critical point of nitrous oxide registered in the literature were assessed and those judged as most reliable have been selected. Empirical equations have been found for the vapour pressure, sublimation and fusion curves. The virial coefficients and saturation properties as functions of temperature along the equilibrium curves are described by reduced equations. They were used in arriving at the molar enthalpies at the triple point and the normal boiling temperature. Equations for the sublimation and fusion curves resulting from the exactly integrated Clapeyron equation compare favourably with the results from the empirical treatment and the experimental data.